Method and apparatus for surface conditioning wire and the like



Aug. 8, .1944. TN. H. NYE ETAL 2,355,174

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR spRFAcE CONDITIONING WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed April 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS NORMAN H.NYEOnd EDWIN J. McILVRIED Aug. 8, 1944. N. H. NYE ETAL METHODAND APPARATUS FOR SURFACE CONDITIONING WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed April 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS NORMAN H.NYE 0nd ATTORNEYS atented Aug. 8, 1944 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SURFACE CONDITIONING WIRE AND THE LHIE. I

Norman H. Nye, Cuyahoga Falls, and

Ohio, Vaughn Machinery Company,

Mcllvried, Akron,

Edwin J. assignors to The Cuyahoga Falls,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 10, 1942, Serial No. 438,454

'7 Claims.

This invention relates as indicated to the surace conditioning of wire and the like and more larticularly to the grinding and polishing of the urface of wire and roding. v

It is often highly desirable that wire and small liameter rod be produced having a very smooth .nd highly polished surface. Such uniformity uf 'surface is particularly beneficial in the case if wire cable and the like since any surface flawur defect in a strand will cause concentration of atress and strain at such .point with resultant :arly fracture. Specifications for wire cable, iarticularly for such uses as the operation of air- Jlane controls, are becoming progressively more strict. Surface flaws may also operate to limit :he degree of reduction to which the wire may :ie subjected at a single draft without snapping. Various other objections to surface irregularities will be readily apparent and have long been known tothose skilled in the art. One common cause of non-uniform surface in the finished product is found in the preliminary drawing of the rod stock to round the same. Small projections on the surface of the rod are upset and elongated while being pressed into the surface of the rod by actiono'f the die. As the wire is progressively reduced, such embedded slivers of metalare likewise elongated and their presence may be determined upon fracture of the wire whereupon they appear as a fuzz or fringe about the broken end. A wire having a smooth and uniform surface Will, on the other hand, break cleanly.

Various grinding and polishing devices have been designed to polish the surface of wire and the like but all such machines have involved ob vious disadvantages. Included among such disadvantages are the slowness of travel of the wire therethrough, often only at the rate of about 12 feet per minute; the complex nature of the ma chine. which usually involves grinding means operative to revolve about the wire while at the same time polishing the same; and-the relatively high cost of such machines.

It is, therefore, a primary object of our invention to provide a new method and apparatus for circularized but prior to subsequent reduction by drafting to smaller sizes.

- Other objects of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then; consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings' and the following description setting forth in detailcertain means and one mode of carrying out the invention, such disclosed-mean'sand mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may type Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view of another form of wire oscillating means inwhich the wire surface conditioning wire, diameter rod, and the like, which will be relatively simple of operation and low in cost.

Another object is to provide apparatus operative to grind and polish the surface of such Work at a much higher rate than that previously obtainable. g

Still another object of our inventionis to provide means for rapidly and effectively grinding and polishing roding after the latter has been be used.

In said annexed'drawings:

Fig. l is a general top plan view of the apparatus of our invention;

' Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of such apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the grinding and polishing machine showing means for oscillating the wire; r

Jig. 4 is a fragmentary view of such grinding means showing a portion of the wire oscillating means in section;

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing an alternative of grinding wheel; and

gripping means comprises a die.

Referring now'more specifically to such drawings, Fig. 1 shows a plurality of mechanisms,

properly arranged relatively to each other for the carryingout of the method of our invention although for convenience shown positioned in closer sequence than would be the case in actual use.- The wire or roding l is taken from let-off reel 2 and may then pass through a conventional straightening machine 3 before being led through the oscillating head 5 and passed between grind wheels 6 and 1. The wire or diameter rod then passes through a guide 8 and is wound on take-up reel 9 driven by an electric motor 10. The primary features of our invention reside in the oscillating means and grinding means and such devices will now be described in detail.

. The aforesaid oscillatingmeans comprises an oscillating head 5 secured to tubular shaft ll ro-' gear 14 rotatably mounted on stand 12. A crank I5 connects gear M to the end of eccentric arm I6 adapted to be rotated by motor H, the length of such arm being less than the radius of gear Oscillating head carries a pair of pinch rollers I8 and I9, the'latter being carried .by a rod vertically slidably mounted in said head. --A screw 2| and lock nut 22 are provided to adjust the pressure with which roller I9 .is urged toward roller I8. The wire I passes through tubular shaft II and is tightly gripped by pinch rolls I8 and I9 '(see Fig. 4) Thus oscillation of head 5; as above described, will cause wire or rod I to be likewise oscillated or twisted. When using grinding means of the type next described below, the wire should be turned through at least 180 at each oscillation so that its entire surface will be properly ground." It is contemplated that such oscillations may be at the rate of 1000 perminute or more. When a straightening machine isemployed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2', the torsion will be in the length of wire between such'machine and the take-up reel 9. These devices should therefore be sufliciently spaced to distribute the torsion along a considerable length of wire,thereby avoiding-an'y permanent set or injury to the same.

The grinding means may, as above noted, comprise two grinding wheels 6 and 1 rotatably carried by mounts 23 and 24 respectively. Their faces overlap somewhat, as best shown in Figs.'2 and 4 and they are adapted to be driven by motor 25, wheel 6 through pulley 26 and band 21 and wheel [through pulley 28 and band 29. The opposing faces of such wheels may be of any-suitable abrasive such as emery or the like, Wire or roding I passes between the overlapping portions of such wheels and the entire surfac of the'work is ground and polished as it rapidly oscillates while being drawn through. One or both of the wheels 6 and 'I may be axially adjustably mounted to ensure proper engagement with the work.

In Fig. 6 a detail sectional view is shown of an -oscillating head of different type than head 5 above described. In this embodiment a die 30 is employed instead of pinch rolls I8 and I9, the

grip of the die being suificient torotate the rod or wire as shaft II is oscillated, while at the same time bringing about a reduction of the diameter of the work.

In Fig. 5 peripherally grooved grinding wheels 3| and 32 are illustrated in place of wheels 6 and I. In this embodiment the wire or roding I passes between the aligned wheels which, because of the grooves, engage a larger proportion of the surface oi the work than is the case with wheels 6 and 1.

It istherefore-not necessary to rotate the wire to so great a degree ,to obtain equally complete coverage of the surface,

. It will be seen from the foregoing that each of the" objects of our invention has been achieved in asimple manner involving no complex machinery and capable of operation at a higher rate of travel of the work. Our novel apparatus is particularly suited to the treatment of rolled rod (such as 1% inch roding) which may, if the Fig. 6 embodiment be employed, be both drawn round and ground in'the same operation. Further drafts may then be made and the final product will have a smooth and uniform surface without the necessity of further grinding and polishing. Such improvement of surface results in similarly improved tensile strengthof the final product, making the sameparticularly suitable for use in high grade wire cable and-the like.

method involves an entirely novel principle of surface grinding, namely rapid rotative oscillation of a portion only of the length of the work, the

torsion being spread along such length. aAs one result, the wire or,.-rod may be passed through the grinding machine at a greatly increased rate of speed, for example 100 feet per minute. It will, of course, be obvious that various types of grinding mechanisms and oscillating devices other than those specifically illustrated and described may be employed if arranged to cooperate in accordance with the teachings of our invention,

As employed herein and in the claims the term grinding means is intended to include any of the means regularly employed to grind,'smooth, or polish metal surfaces] The term wire" is likewise used broadly to designate wire, roding, and elongated rod generally, and more particularly of circular cross-section.

' Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of the one about the axisof such wire to torsionally oscillate an intermediate length only of such wire, and grindin means adapted to contact with such oscillat ng wire, the degree of oscillation being sufficient to ensure conditioning of the complete peripheral surface of such wire.

2. In apparatus for surface conditioning wire and the like, means for continuously advancing such wire from a supply coil to take-up means, opposed r'oller gripping means operative to grip 'such wire intermediate said coil and take-up means, means for. rapidly rotatively oscillating said gripping means about the axis: of such wire to torsionally oscillate at an intermediate length only of such'wire, and grinding wheels having overlapping faces respectively adapted to contact opposite sides of such wire passing therebetween, the degree of oscillation being sufficient to ensure conditioning of the complete peripheral surface of such wire.

3. In apparatus for conditioning wire and the like, means for continuously advancing such wire from supply to take-up, a device including opposed gripper rolls adapted to define the path of travel. of and frictionally engage such wire at a point aligned with and lying between such supply and take-up, means for rapidly-oscillating said device about the axis of such wire, whereby the length of wire between such supply and take- .up is correspondingly oscillated, and grinding means adjacent said device adapted to contact such wire.

4. In apparatus for conditioning wire and the like, means forcontinuously advancing such wire from supply to take-up, a device including a reducing die for such wire located at a point. aligned with and lying between such supply and take-up, means for rapidly oscillating said device about the axis of such wire, whereby the length of wire between such suppl d take-up is correspondingly oscillated, about its egg by contact between the reducing die and the wire, and grinding means adjacent said device adapted to "contact such wire.

51 The method of conditioning wire and the like, which comprises the. steps of continuously advancing said wire from supply to take-up, en-

gaging said wire, intermediate said supply andtake-np, with gripping means in such manner that there is suificient friction to move said wire arcuately and insufllcientfriction to prevent said advancing thereof, rapidly oscillating said gripping means about the axisof said wire and conwire by engaging the same with grinding means I while being thus oscil1ated.

- 6. The method ofconditioning wire and the like, which comprises the steps of continuously advancing said wire from supply to take-up, engagingsaid wire, intermediate said-supply and take-up, with gripping means in such manner that. there is sufficient friction to move said wire cross section of said wire as ping means operative ditioning the entire peripheral surface of said oscillation being sufficient 'arcuately and insufflcient'friction to prevent "said advancing thereof, simultaneously reducing the it is gripped, rapidly oscillating said gripping means about the axis of said wire and conditioning the entire peripheral surface of said wire by engaging the same with grinding means while being thus oscillated.

'7. In apparatus for surface conditioning wire and the like, means for continuously advancing such wire from a supply to take-up means, gripto grip such wire intermediate said supply and take-up means, means for rapidly rotatively oscillating said gripping means'about the axis of such wire, and mechanical surface conditioning means adapted to contact with such oscillating wire, the degree of to ensure conditioning of the complete peripheral surface of such wire.

NORMAN H. NYE.

J. MOILVRIED. 

